Earlier today I posted about the young man who was shot by the shooter in Idaho. I had presumed the man saw the shooter nearby his house, grabbed his pistol, and tried to take a shot at him. This post by Joe Huffman indicates that he did exactly what I advised not doing in my post yesterday, and went looking for the shooter. Apparently, he as not alone in this:

Another citizen became involved at the scene, Moscow Police Chief Dan Weaver said. The man, who had a handgun and a semi-automatic weapon in his car, was stopped by police as he drove through the crime scene.

Weaver said police initially mistook the man for a shooter and brought him to the police station in handcuffs to be interviewed.

The chief said he was concerned that the two men got themselves involved, especially with law enforcement already at the scene.

A good rule of thumb would be, if you aren’t close enough to the shooter to be able to engage him immediately, then you’re not doing anyone any favors by getting involved. Definitely, once the police arrive, it’s their situation. Uniforms are an important safety feature here, which is why police wear them. If you’re not wearing one, you don’t have any business being at the scene.

I am a big believer in an active citizenry, and I do think the citizen has a role to play in a situation like this, but that role involves keeping himself, his family, and his immediate vicinity safe from the shooter. Bringing someone to justice, that not our job, it’s the reason we hire police officers.

One Response to “Getting Involved”

I basically agree with your tactical reading of the situation and proper conduct to avoid confusion and hindrance of the police, but I must disagree with your premise.

You said,” Bringing someone to justice, that not our job, it’s the reason we hire police officers.”

We are all charged with the same responsibilities as are the police. We hire them to do it full time as their occupation. Their primary job. We do this to enable quicker and more efficient response, but they are not the only ones charged with keeping the peace and preserving order in society.

The major difference between us and them is that they are hired to do it full time, nothing else. The other differences are mirages.